Tag Archives: Asia

Moose

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Moose

The big, big moose.

  • ‘Moose’ are also known as ‘Eurasian elks’, or ‘elks’, although they are different to the American elk, and their scientific name is ‘Alces alces’ which includes 6 to 7 subspecies.
  • Moose belong to the deer family, Cervidae, and the sub family Capreolinae, and can grow to be 1.4 to 2.1 metres (4.6 to 6.9 feet) in height, and weigh between 200 to 700 kilograms (440 to 1500 pounds),
  • Moose are native to the forests of the Northern Hemisphere, mainly abundant in Canada, Alaska and Russia, although they are found in parts of Europe, Asia and the United States, and are one of the largest land animals in Europe and North America.
  • Adult male moose are named ‘bulls’, adult females are called ‘cows’ and the young are named ‘calves’, and they do not live in herds, but are instead solitary for most of their lives.
  • The diet of moose consists of large quantities of vegetation, including aquatic plants, as they require significant amounts of sodium in their diet.

Bull Moose, Antlers, Full, Male, Wyoming, Meadow, Single, Ten Random Facts, National Geographic

Moose
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Moose are classified by the shape of the antler that the males grow and lose at the end of autumn, regrowing in spring, and while the antlers grow at a rapid rate, ‘velvet’ protects them.
  • Moose can run at speeds of 56 km/h (35 mph) and they can also swim well, reaching speeds of 9.6 km/h (6 mph).
  • Moose live for 15 to 25 years, and usually give birth to one or two young, who are chased away when they are around one year old.
  • Moose are preyed on by wolves and bears, although these predators are both wary of the adult deer, and the moose are often hunted by humans who consume them as food.
  • Automobile accidents can occur with moose, which are generally fatal for both parties due to the size of the animal.
Bibliography: Katherine Gammon, Fun Facts about Moose, 2013, Live Science, http://www.livescience.com/27408-moose.html
Moose, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose

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Kendama

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Kendama

Flick up the kendama ball and catch it on the stick.

  • A kendama is a traditional Japanese toy, typically made of wood.
  • Kendama are historically hammer-shaped with a spike, and have a ball attached with string.
  • Kendama have four main parts: ‘ken’ (stick or handle), ‘crosspiece’ (cup body), ‘string’, and ‘ball’ , and the toy usually has three different cup sizes to balance the ball on.
  • The aim of a kendama is to get the ball onto the spike or catch it on one of the sides of the hammer.
  • A ‘kendama’ is also known as ‘ring and pin’, and it is similar to the European cup-and-ball toy.

Kendama, Toy, Japanese, Traditional, Two, Mini, Wooden, Small, Anatomy, Ten Random Facts

  • Kendama are particularly common in Japan, where trick competitions are held.
  • While some people think that the kendama toy originated in Japan, it possibly came to the country by trade in the 1770s from the French, who had a similar toy named a ‘bilboquet’, to which the Japanese made some modifications.
  • The modern kendama was patented by Japanese Hamaji Egusa in 1920 and the official competition design came from the 1970s.
  • The string on a kendama is typically between 35 to 45 centimetres (1.1 to 1.5 feet) in length; a longer string makes it harder to complete the aim.
  • The grip and stance of kendama change the performance, with specific recognised standards of each.

 

Bibliography:
Kendama, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendama
Kendama, n.d, Kids Web Japan, http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/kendama/kendama01.html

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Hydrangea

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Hydrangea

Hydrangeas may look like mops, but will not work like one.

  • Hydrangeas are generally flowering shrubs that grow from 1 to 3 metres (3 to 10 feet) in height, but some species are trees or climbers, with some climbing up tall trees.
  • Hydrangeas are mostly hardy plants that are also known as ‘hortensia’, and are from the family Hydrangeaceae.
  • There are over 70 species of hydrangeas, that either deciduous or evergreen, with the most commonly grown type, Hydrangea macrophylla, being deciduous.
  • Hydrangeas are native to east and south Asia, as well as north and south America.
  • Hydrangeas have flowers that are either pom-pom shaped or flat-headed, known as ‘Mopheads’ and ‘Lacecaps’ respectively.

Hydrangea, pom-pom, bloom, purple, pink, flower, plant, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • The flowers of hydrangeas can be white, blue, and pink, purple or red in colour, which are often determined by the soil the plant is planted in, with acidic soils producing blue flowers and alkaline soils bearing flowers in pink or red shades.
  • Hydrangeas are popular decorative and ornamental plants in the garden, and usually bloom in spring and summer.
  • Certain hydrangea species are poisonous, and can cause severe sickness or fatalities if consumed, and despite this, some parts are sometimes smoked.
  • Hydrangeas are mostly hardy plants and prefer semi-shaded areas.
  • Some species of hydrangeas have leaves that are used to make a sweet tea.
Bibliography:
Hydrangea, 2011, Gardening Australia, http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866625.htm
Hydrangea, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrangea

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Gray Wolf

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Gray Wolf

The boy that called ‘gray wolf’.

  • The scientific name of the gray wolf is canis lupus, and they are largest in the family Canidae, which is the family of dogs, wolves, foxes and other similar animals, and they can have the spelling ‘grey wolves’, while the females are known as ‘she-wolves’.
  • Gray wolves have a lifespan, in the wild, for about seven to eight years and are native to North America, North Africa and Eurasia, but are now mainly found in Alaska, Canada, North America, Russia, Eurasia.
  • Gray wolves have a diet that consists of mainly of medium to large hoofed animals but sometimes they consume other small animals, fruit, vegetation and other food they can find.
  • As the name suggests, the furry coat of gray wolves is generally grey, but they can be brown, black, white or red in colour.

 

Gray Wolf, White, Grey, Alaska National Park, Adult, Glow, Grass, Rock, Ten Random Facts, National Geographic Stock

 

Gray Wolf
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Gray wolves range from 36 to 45 kilograms (79 to 99 pounds) in weight, and can reach speeds up to 60 kilometres per hour.
  • Gray wolves have large, sharp teeth that, with enough pressure, can crush bones, and in a single meal, they can consume and digest food equal to 15 to 19% of their own weight.
  • Gray wolves can control their body-heat by quickening or slowing their flow of blood and while their sense of smell is not as advanced as some others in the canine family, they make it up with good tracking skills and nocturnal eyesight.
  • Gray wolves usually live in packs of 5-11 wolves and generally pair for life, usually having a litter of 5 to 6 pups each year.
  • Gray wolves can make a very loud howl to communicate with each other, to signal a gathering, to locate or to warn, that can be heard 130 kilometres (50 mile) away, and they can also make whimpers, growls, barks, snarls, yelps and whines.
  • Gray wolves do not often attack humans, particularly since they have a fear of humans embedded by hunters who killed one third of the original population.
Bibliography:
Gray Wolf, 2013, Defenders of Wildlife, http://www.defenders.org/gray-wolf/basic-facts
Gray Wolf, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_wolf

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Viburnum

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Viburnum

There are so many versions of viburnums!

  • Viburnums are evergreen or deciduous flowering shrubs or small trees and there are at least 150 different species.
  • Viburnums are from the family Adoxaceae, which is the family of moschatels and they were originally part of the honeysuckle family, the Caprifoliaceae family.
  • Viburnums are mostly native to the northern parts of the world, particularly those in mild climates.
  • Viburnums have small flowers with five petals, that are white, pink or cream in colour and grow in clusters.
  • In the past, long stems of some species of viburnum have been used as shafts for arrows, and they are still commonly used by archers.

Viburnum Tinus, Flowers, Clustered, White, Pink, Buds, Ten Random Facts, Australia, Ornamental plant

  • Viburnums have small, red, purple, blue or black round fruits, and depending on the species can be made into jam, although some species are toxic.
  • Viburnums grow from 1 to 6 metres (3 to 20 feet) in height and prefer to grow in sunlight, but can adapt to the shade.
  • Viburnums generally have appealing, green coloured foliage, and those species that lose their leaves in winter have attractive autumn coloured foliage.
  • Viburnums are popularly used as an ornamental plant since they do not attract many pests.
  • Viburnums flower during the spring months, and some species are quite fragrant.
Bibliography:
Twombly K, Viburnum are Versatile Plants, 2013, Fine Gardening, http://www.finegardening.com/plants/articles/viburnums-are-versatile-shrubs.aspx?id=81004
Viburnum, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum

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Leopard

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Leopard

You will not see the leopard until too late!

  • Leopards are from the family Felidae, which is the family of cats, and are part of the Panthera genus, large cat family, of which they are the smallest.
  • Leopards are, depending on the species, native to the deserts, tropics and cool areas of either Africa or Asia.
  • Leopards grow from o.9 to 1.65 metres (3 feet to 5.4 feet) in length, have small, clustered black blotches, or rosettes as they are known, on a pale yellow to gold coloured skin, and have a lifespan from 12 to 17 years, in the wild.
  • Leopards can run at speeds of 58 kilometres/hour (36 miles/hour), jump at heights of 3 metres (10 feet) and at lengths of 6 metres (20 feet).
  • The scientific name of leopards is ‘Panthera pardus’ and includes nine official sub species, and are often mistaken for cheetahs and jaguars, but can be distinguished by their different rosettes or spots.

female leopard, yellow, black, cat, Kruger National Park, Africa, National Geographic Stock, Ten Random Facts

Leopard
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • ‘Leopard’ comes from the combination of Greek words ‘leōn’ and ‘pardos,’ meaning ‘lion’ and ‘mail panther’ respectively, since it was originally thought they were a cross between a lion and a panther.
  • Leopards are primarily nocturnal hunters that stalk prey stealthily, usually launching their attack at their victim’s neck, and then often dragging heavy carcasses, which can be twice the cat’s weight, with their mouth, up into high trees for protection.
  • Leopards are carnivores, and their diet is quite varied, consisting of animals like monkeys, warthogs, cheetah cubs and antelope, and smaller mammals, reptiles, birds, insects and amphibians, and while they do not often attack humans, in the early 1900s, two vicious man-eaters are said to have killed 525 people between them.
  • Although leopards have no natural predators, large cats, large primates and hyenas all compete for carcasses, and in large groups, will attack these spotted cats, sometimes fatally, for food.
  • Leopards generally have two to four cubs per litter, which stay with the mother for up to 2 years, who protects them from large predators such as crocodiles, large cats and primates.
Bibliography:
Leopard, 2013, San Diego Zoo Animals, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/leopard
Leopard, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard

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